Former Man United man Odion Ighalo has revealed that not only does he think transfer target Victor Osimhen would be a “good fit” for the club, he says he’ll even “advise him” to join them this summer.
Ighalo‘s relatively short time at United may have come almost out of nowhere, but it was still nevertheless a chapter that most fans enjoyed; characterised by plenty of smiles and the wholesome story of a lifelong Red finally joining his dream club — plus he also managed to score a few goals.
However, it might surprise a few fans to learn that it was Ighalo’s loan move to United back in 2020 that actually prevented them from securing the signature of highly sought-after Napoli forward, Osimhen, who was just coming through at Lille at the time.
Speaking to Complete Sports back then, his Osimhen’s brother Andrew said that United’s interest was very real but simply had “too much respect for Ighalo to be competing for shirts with his senior colleague.”
“My brother holds Ighalo in high esteem and he just didn’t see himself going to Old Trafford to battle for a striking role with the highest goalscorer at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.” It would seem that love is just as equally reciprocated, with Ighalo insisting that the 24-year-old is “like a brother to me”.
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As he went on to tell Sky Sports, Ighalo said, “If he asked for my opinion and what should he do, I would advise him to join United because, for me, they are the biggest club”, adding that not only would he “fit in so well”, he also believes being paired up with Marcus Rashford would be a frightening prospect.
The 33-year-old noted that as his Nigerian compatriot is “young boy” who can run and score goals, he believes that the idea of having him and Rashford in the top at United “will cause any defender panic, because they are two fast players and they are goalscorers.”
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Currently playing in Saudi Arabia, Ighalo assured that he keeps in regular contact with Osimhen. “We talk once in a while, I advise him, I talk to him and I tell him to keep working hard and believe in himself, which he is doing. He is on the right path. He is a goalscorer, he never stops.
“Osimhen is like an ant. He is a striker that doesn’t give defenders a chance to rest; he is always going to be on you, he is always going to press you and he isn’t afraid.”
Sounds like the kind of player any team would snap up given the opportunity.
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Now, with 21 goals and four assists in all competitions already this season and almost just as many for the current Serie A leaders last year (this being only his third campaign for the club), United obviously won’t be the only team looking to go in for the striker in scintillating form.
Moreover, it is also a question of whether or not Osimhen would fit into Erik ten Hag‘s side and the way he wants to play going forward, not to mention links with Spurs and England star Harry Kane looking stronger than ever following their Champions League exit.
What do you reckon, United fans — if you had your pick, would it be Osimhen or Kane?
Featured Image — Sky Sports/Man United/Napoli/Victor Osimhen (via IG)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
9th March 2023 
